The Vatican Information Service is a news service, founded in the Holy See Press Office, that provides information about the Magisterium and the pastoral activities of the Holy Father and the Roman Curia...[+]

Last 5 news

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Vatican
City, 25 September 2013 (VIS) – The unity of the Church, dispersed
around the world, was the theme chosen by Pope Francis for his
catechesis during today's general audience in which over 40,000
people participated. “In the Creed”, he said, “we profess our
faith in the Church, which is one, and this Church is in itself unity
… even though it spreads across all the continents”.

Unity
in faith, in hope, in charity, in the sacraments and the ministry,
are “like the pillars that support and hold together the single
great edifice of the Church. Wherever we go, even in the smallest
parish, in the furthest corners of this earth, there is the One
Church; we are at home, we are with our family, we are brothers and
sisters. And this is a great gift from God! The Church is One for
all. There is not one Church for Europeans, one for Africans, one for
Americans, one for Asians, one for those who live in Oceania, but she
is the same everywhere. And the Church is just like a family: the
members may be far away, spread around the world, but the strong
bonds that unite us all hold firm regardless of the distance”.

The
Pope recalled that during the recent World Youth Day in Rio de
Janeiro, which brought together so many cultures and languages, from
so many places of origin, there was nonetheless a “profound unity,
which formed a single Church, in whom all were united, and this could
be felt”. “Let each one of us ask: do I feel this unity? Do I
live this unity? Or am I not interested, am I one of those who would
'privatise' the Church for their own group, their own nation, their
own friends? It is sad to encounter a privatised Church, as this form
of selfishness indicates a lack of faith. Do we pray for each other?
I wonder how many of you you pray for persecuted Christians, for
those brothers or those sisters who suffer as a consequence of their
faith? It is important to look over one's own fence, to feel part of
the Church, of the single family of God”.

Francis
then went on to ask whether there were any casualties of this unity,
whether it could inflict harm, since “at times there arise
misunderstandings, conflicts, tensions and divisions, which cause
harm and then the Church does not have the face we would like, she
does not manifest her charity, as God would want. We create those
lacerations! And if we look at the divisions that still exist between
Christians - Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants – we become aware of
the effort that it takes to make this unity fully visible”. The
Pope explained that although “God gives us unity”, we sometimes
find it difficult to manifest it in our lives. “It is necessary to
seek, to build communion, to educate in communion, to overcome
misunderstandings and divisions. … Our world needs unity,
reconciliation and communion, and the Church is the Home of
Communion”.

Quoting
St. Paul to the Ephesians, the Pope reiterated that in order to
conserve unity it is necessary to have “humility, gentleness,
magnanimity and love”, but this is not primarily the result of our
consent or efforts, but rather comes from the Holy Spirit, which
continually recreates the Church and creates “unity in diversity,
which is harmony”. The Holy Father concluded by asking the Lord, as
in the prayer of St. Francis, to help us never to become instruments
of division, but rather to bring love where there is hate,
forgiveness where there is injury and union where there is discord.

-
appointed Fr. Joao Inacio Muller, O.F.M., as bishop of Lorena (area
5,055, population 293,000, Catholics 223,000, priests 69, permanent
deacons 14, religious 150), Brazil. The bishop-elect, previously
provincial minister of the Friars Minor of the province “Sao
Francisco de Assis”, was born in Santa Clara do Sul, Brazil in 1960
and was ordained a priest in 1988 He holds a licentiate in spiritual
theology from the "Antonianum" Pontifical Athenaeum in
Rome, and has served in a number of pastoral and administrative
roles, including: guardian of the “Sao Boaventura” convent, vicar
of the parish “Sao Joao Batista” in Daltro Filho in the diocese
of Caxias do Sul, master of novices, secretary for the Formation and
Studies for the province and provincial definitor, vicar of the
fraternity, master of students of philosophy, and agent for pastoral
care in the network of communities in the “Santa Clara” parish at
Lomba do Pinheiro.

-
appointed Bishop Marco Eugenio Galrao Leite de Almeida as auxiliary
of Sao Salvador da Bahia (area 3,859, population 3,862,000, Catholics
2,730,000, priests 289, permanent deacons 73, religious 586), Brazil.
Bishop Galrao Leite de Almeida, previously bishop of Estancia,
Brazil, was born in Aracaju, Brazil in 1959, was ordained to the
priesthood in 1989, and received episcopal ordination in 2003.